


Trampled Flowers

by Kumikoseph



Series: Trampled Flowers [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: A little angst, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, M/M, Nightmares, Reunion Fic, Romance, possibly a tiny bit OOC at some points due to situations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-29
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-09 15:03:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3254105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kumikoseph/pseuds/Kumikoseph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi's been suffering from nightmares for a long time; his spirit is dented with loneliness and he can't recall the last time he was truly happy. </p>
<p>The question is, when will Levi remember?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Levi

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fiction for Attack on Titan and also the first I've put up on AO3. Constructive criticism is definitely welcome! If you see any spelling errors or anything like that then please let me know. Enjoy!

They always began like this.

_Zipping through the air; the wind rushing past his face, swinging through and from the trees. The bright sun peaking through the gaps in the leaves above. His arms and legs moved of their own accord. Each action felt natural as if rehearsed; he knew these movements well._

_“Corporal Levi!”_

_…Corporal?_

_Levi glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of a young brown-haired, green-eyed boy swinging along behind him._

_“Who are you?” Levi asked as he continued to strategically swing around the trees, keeping up speed and momentum; the boy followed with determination._

_The kid either didn’t hear Levi or he elected to ignore him. “Corporal Levi”, the boy repeated, “what’s the plan of attack?”_

_Levi frowned as he just barely avoided slamming into a tree, “you’re distracting me, you brat, and why the hell do you keep calling me corporal!?”_

_Again, the boy ignored him._

_“Commander Erwin is approaching the 15 Metre-Class Titan from the right. Mikasa is coming from the left. Do you want me to circle round and take out the 10 Metre-Class approaching from the North?”_

_Levi stared at him blankly, “I…I don’t-“_

_“Sir, look out!” the boy yelled, zipping to the right and out of sight. Levi looked ahead and froze._

_A grotesque, disproportionate giant stood in the clearing ahead, looking straight at him with wide eyes and a freakish, open-mouthed smile. Levi swung to the right, intending to dodge the monster, but it reached for him and managed to grab the chain of his manoeuvre device._

_“Shit… shit!” Levi hissed, reaching for the belts and buckles around his body, racing to release himself from the restraints, but it was no good. The bindings were too complicated and there were too many. The Titan grabbed Levi with its free hand, trapping his limbs._

_“Corporal!”_

_The young man was back, swinging in from the right, and he was joined by a tall, blonde man. From the left came a lithe young woman with black hair and a red scarf wrapped around her throat. All of them looked murderous, swinging around the giant with strategic movements._

_The giant’s grip tightened around him and Levi shrieked in distress as he felt his bones crunch under the pressure._ _In his agony, he barely noticed the blonde man swoop down and slice the giant’s hand clean off; and then Levi was plummeting to the ground._

_Before he came to a sudden stop that would surely put an end to his pain, he was caught and lowered to the ground slowly. The blonde man set him down and examined Levi’s broken body with a grimace, looking back grievously as the other two took down the giant._

_“Commander, is he okay!?” asked the brown-haired boy, swooping down and running to Levi’s side._

_“I don’t think he’s going to make it, Eren”, the black-haired girl spoke solemnly as she came to stand behind the boy known as Eren._

_“Shut up, Mikasa”, Eren snapped, looking horrified at the thought, then he turned to Levi._

_“Corporal, don’t you dare die”, the boy hissed, his face distraught._

_It hurt to move, so Levi remained still; his eyes flicking to each of the faces before him. He didn’t know why they felt familiar; he was sure he had never seen them before in his life, but at the same time he felt like he’d known them for years._

_“I…” he gasped and choked, “I need to wake up.”_

_The blonde man frowned, “He’s not making any sense. I fear we may lose him-“_

_“S-shut the fuck up, Commander Erwin!” Eren snapped. The boy laid his hands gently on Levi’s shoulders, his face desperate. “Just… just hang on, Corporal… Hanji will be here soon! I’m sure she’ll know how to help!”_

_“I need to wake up… I need to wake up”, Levi chanted over and over. None of this was real. None of it could be real. But the pain felt real; the pain was agonising._

_“EREN!” Mikasa snapped, jumping back suddenly as another giant stepped towards them through the trees. Erwin followed swiftly, but Eren threw his arms around Levi and attempted to drag him away._

_The pain was immense and the disgusting giant stepped forward._

_“WAKE UP! FUCK! WAKE UP!” Levi screamed as the huge foot came crushing down upon them both._

Levi shot upright in bed, a weak cry of terror escaping his mouth, his eyes wide and his breathing ragged and hoarse. He was drenched in a cold sweat and his bedsheets were tangled around him uncomfortably. He hissed and broke free of the blankets and stumbled out of bed.

They always ended like this. His nightmares.

They were sickening and horrifying, but Levi barely remembered anything about them. Only the remnants of fear and pain remained in his head no matter how hard he tried to be rid of them.

They would haunt him all day and he would have trouble sleeping the following night, only to suffer the unconscious visions once more. Levi had even tried seeing a psychiatrist, but they were little help and always came off as condescending assholes. Levi didn’t need someone telling him he was mentally ill; he just suffered nightmares, that was all. Nightmares that wouldn’t stop… nightmares that ebbed in the back of his mind like unforgotten memories. He just needed a way to get rid of them, and no one could tell him how.

“Tch.” Levi stared at his disheveled reflection in the bathroom mirror. His black hair was unkempt, his grey eyes were foggy and they stung in the corners from lack of sleep. His pale face looked almost sickly thanks to the dark bags under his eyes. His lips were chapped and his chest was covered in a thin layer of perspiration; his stomach was becoming soft, losing the toned muscles he once had. Levi tried to go the the gym as often as he could, attempting to keep his fitness level up, but it was hard when he barely slept. Occasionally Levi would go one night without facing the plaguing terrors of his dreams, and he would awaken feeling relieved and actually motivated to do something; but in the past few weeks he’d had maybe one or two days like that. They were rare and a godsend; they did not come as often as he wished they would.

Levi sighed and leant over the counter, running the water from the sink to wash his face. The sun was slowly rising, though it was still very early. Probably about 6am. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, and he didn’t want to waste the morning trying anyway.

He brushed his teeth and stepped into the shower, washing away the salty sweat from his body and relished the smell of the citrus-scented gel he then proceeded to cleanse himself with.

Washing always made him feel a little bit better, so he showered as often as he could. Levi remained in the warmth of the steaming water for as long as he could, planning out what he would do for the day, before his fingers and toes started wrinkling up.

Since it was Saturday morning, Levi had two days to spare before returning to work on Monday; figuring he should use that time to be productive, he decided he would take a walk after breakfast and see where the journey took him, and then later on he could head to the gym if he was feeling up to it.

Ruffling his wet hair with a towel in an attempt to dry it, he realised he was in definite need of a trip to the hairdresser.

 _Alright. Guess I’ve got my first destination of the day settled,_ he thought. His undercut-style was in dire need of a touch-up. The mop of tresses atop his head were getting way too long for his liking.

After getting dressed, he ate his breakfast, grabbed his coat and walked out the door.

-x-


	2. Haircut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi meets an unfamiliarly familiar face...
> 
> Wait, what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 2, technically chapter 1 because the first chapter was the prologue, but we'll avoid confusion and just call it chapter 2 :) Hope you enjoy. Constructive criticism welcomed, and please do point out any spelling errors or grammar cock-ups if you see them!

Levi stood outside the hairdressers with a slight grimace on his face; while he could admit that he needed his hair cut, he wasn’t particularly fond of people touching his hair. It made him uncomfortable and besides, who knows where their grubby fingers have been?

Mentally preparing for the next half hour or so it would take for his desired hairstyle to present itself, he stepped in through the door and headed to the front desk.

“Ah, Levi!” the flamboyant man behind the counter spoke. His name was Brock and he was, well, a little strange. Brock only knew Levi from his monthly trips to the hairdresser and they never spoke outside of those appointments, so Levi just barely classed him as an acquaintance… also, his enthusiasm always exasperated Levi to his wit’s end.

“Are we here for the usual then, mister?” Brock inquired, leaning across the desk to leer at Levi.

“Yeah…”, Levi grumbled, slightly put-off by the eyeful he was getting from the man. Brock giggled an incessantly high-pitched giggle and Levi restrained himself from rolling his eyes.

“Alrighty then, Mister Levi. I am afraid, however, that your usual stylist is off sick today! But we do have a new, lovely, young lady that joined us last week and she’s very good!” Brock informed him as he started typing away on his computer.

Levi heard the words ‘young’ and ‘new’ and just about recoiled in horror. He barely liked the idea of an experienced regular styling his hair but an amateur?

“Absolutely not” Levi hissed, scowling at the man. “Don’t you have anyone else available?” he demanded, just a little too loud.

Brock put his hands up defensively and pouted, “Now now, Mister Levi, Petra Ral may be new, and she may be young, but she’s the best of the best! I’m one-hundred percent serious! You’ll walk away with the most amazing do you’ve ever had!”

“Huh?” Levi faltered at the name. “Who?”

“Petra Ral! She’s fantastic and she’s adorable!” Brock squealed, “You’d be a fool to turn her down!”

_Petra?_ Levi thought, too involved in his own thoughts to pay any more attention to what the exuberant man in front of him was screeching about. _Why does that name sound familiar?_

Now Levi was completely mortified at the idea of letting a young, inexperienced girl cut his hair, but by the way the name pulled insistently at his memories like he should know exactly who she was… well, it just made him strangely anxious. Suddenly he found himself wanting to see this girl for himself.

With that, Levi came back to himself to find Brock extremely close to his face and ended up stumbling back a bit before he sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Fine”, he grumbled quietly.

“EXCELLENT!” Brock cried joyfully, jumping about happily before skipping off into the back room to fetch, no doubt, the apparently _magnificent_ Petra Ral.

Levi shifted uncomfortably on his feet as he waited for Brock to return with the mysterious girl. In the meantime he hung his coat and scarf on one of the coat stands by the door.

“Mister Levi, if you’d follow me please!” a sweet, chipper voice spoke, and Levi turned to see a ginger-haired girl, ever-so-slightly shorter than him, smiling brightly at him.

Levi rose an eyebrow as he took in her appearance; her soft face was friendly and full of life, her golden-brown eyes were shining gleefully. Her body was lithe and curvy at the hips, and she was clad in her plain work uniform. Levi blinked several times before he reached the conclusion that he was ninety-nine percent sure he’d never seen her in his life. It was the remaining one percent that poked away at his mind, telling him he should _know her_ from somewhere.

He blinked, catching sight of how her face seemed a little flushed. She looked a little too happy.

“Uhh, just Levi. Just call me Levi.” he told her, frowning slightly at her excitement.

_If she messes up my hair…_ he thought bitterly.

She frowned as well, probably at the sour expression on his face, before clearing her throat, the smile returning, though not as strong as before.

“Right… right! Well, Levi, my name is Petra! Please, sit down!”

-x-

Levi was impressed. He watched Petra work on his hair with gentle fingers and precise snips. She looked focused and determined, definitely not a nervous mess as he’d first expected she would be. She cut his hair exactly how he liked it - in fact, it was even better than how his old stylist would cut it.

_Tch. Now I have to admit to Brock that he was right. Damn it. That man does not need an ego boost._ Levi thought grimly.

“So, do you have any plans for today?” Petra asked, after a good ten minutes of complete silence.

Levi groaned inwardly. If there was one thing he hated, it was when people tried to make small talk with him; it always made everything so awkward for him… but since she’d done a good job with his hair so far, he decided to humour her.

He cleared his throat before responding, “I don’t know. I was thinking I might go to the gym later, but I don’t know-“

“Yeah, you should totally go to the gym!” Petra interrupted him, smiling widely. Levi glared up at her in the mirror.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

_She probably thinks I look unfit._ Levi concluded sourly, and then wondered why the hell he cared what she thought.

Petra looked flustered, her cheeks reddening and her eyes widening, “O-oh! No, I didn’t mean to insult you or anything! I just meant… you should totally go to the gym because it’s a good, productive thing to do!” she spoke hurriedly, afraid she’d made him angry. Levi shook his head, brushing it off.

“Tch. Whatever. I’ll see how I am later; I haven’t been getting much sleep lately.”

Petra frowned, “Oh no; why’s that?”

“Well… I suffer from nightmares.” he told her, and then cleared his throat, “I mean… really terrible nightmares. I had to see a psychiatrist. It didn’t help.” he said hurriedly, not wanting to embarrass himself in case she thought he meant childish nightmares full of green and purple fuzzy beasts that were really not that scary at all.

Of course, after mentioning the psychiatrist, he mentally hit himself for opening up so much; she looked like she pitied him and he hated it.

“That sounds terrible.” she said sincerely.

“I don’t need your pity”, Levi hissed, “I just deal with it.”

“Oh no, you misunderstand. I don’t pity you!” she told him, “It was sympathy… because, well, I used to have nightmares too. Nightmares that I couldn’t escape from…”

Levi concealed a scowl. _As if. You don’t know what these nightmares do to me._

Petra saw through his expression and frowned, “I’m sorry if I offended you… but hey, I’ll tell you what helped me”, she smiled suddenly, bright and happy, and it concerned Levi how quickly her mood changed. “A good book always helped clear my head and help me sleep! Maybe you could at least try it! There’s some really good books in the fantasy section of the local library; you should go there!”

He gently shook his head, “I don’t think it will help.”

“What’s the harm in trying?” Petra asked him with a smile, and then gave his hair a bit of a ruffle, before holding up the mirror to the back.

“There we go! What do you think?” she asked, searching his face for approval.

Levi observed Petra’s work through the mirror, shaking his head a little and admiring how his hair fell at either side, now a couple of inches shorter than before. It looked perfect. It looked better than it ever had; but he wasn’t going to admit that outright.

“It looks good. It’s very good.” That was the best Levi could come up with.

Petra didn’t looked phased, however, in fact, she looked elated, “Oh I’m so glad you like it, Levi!”

Even if he wasn’t fond of the small talk, he was definitely fond of her hair-cutting skills, and he found himself oddly warmed by her company; he would definitely request her for all his future visits to the hairdressers, that’s for sure.

Brock reappeared to inform Petra that she had a new client, so Petra gave Levi one more bright smile and said, “Come back soon, Levi! It was a pleasure to work with your hair!” with a cute giggle.

Levi gave her a nod of appreciation, concealing a small smile at her ridiculousness, “Thank you for… this”, he murmured quietly, running a hand through his hair.

She nodded, “Oh and remember, the fantasy section at the local library!”

“Hm”, Levi hummed thoughtfully in consideration, and then head to the front desk to pay for Petra’s work, adding a generous tip whilst he was at it.

_Weird how something as small as a good haircut can brighten your day._

-x-

 

 


End file.
